GembaDocs

Tom had the rare opportunity, and privilege, to visit a few GembaDocs customers within a Pennsylvania Amish community last month - seeing first hand SOPs, Lean and continuous improvement in action. It was great seeing their use of GembaDocs (and lean) for all aspect of the businesses he visited, including for the horse buggy construction - an essential form of transport in the community. We often see examples of Lean and GembaDocs in larger commercial and industrial manufacturing organizations, so it was refreshing change to see if in a more traditional woodwork and metal work environment, being as effective too.

"...it's completely mistake proof, they have that drawing to work, one, and second they don't have to hunt for SOP or drawing anymore" - Pankaj Malik In this week’s GembaTalk, Tom speaks with Pankaj Malik, founder of IOTAFLOW SYSTEMS PVT. LTD., about his company’s transformation through Lean principles and SOP standardization. After struggling with quality and delivery issues for over 20 years, Pankaj discovered 2 Second Lean and took immediate action. Despite facing skepticism from his team, he implemented SOPs in a way that empowered employees instead of restricting them - adopting the ‘what’s in it for me’ approach. This shift has not only improved efficiency but has also enhanced employee well-being, with increased trust, better working conditions, and even company-funded medical care and dividends for staff. The moments from this week’s GembaTalk: > How Pankaj discovered 2 Second Lean and overcame skepticism in his team > The financial benefits of Lean - how IOTAFLOW reinvests cost savings into staff medical care and bonuses > The cultural shift that helped employees see the value in SOPs > Integrating SOPs into an ERP system for real-time access on the shop floor > How Lean principles improved not just productivity, but employee well-being 🎙️Find GembaTalk in your favourite podcast app (https://lnkd.in/e4zt4GSt), watch on YouTube https://lnkd.in/eKPHWnM5 or head to our blog https://lnkd.in/eRyeDPFJ

We've just hosted our first ever GembaDocs Team Meet Up in a lovely venue in the heart of rural Northern Ireland. The team, who are based across the UK, got together for three days to go over the next 12 months of growth - from building the best platform possible for our customers, to creating our own lean operations. Amongst the project work we also enjoyed exploring the Venue's manor building, antiques and grounds, complete with swords and a rare weeping elm, meeting Gemba Dog No1 - Ruby, viewing the planetary alignment together, and catching up with our designer Fergal, as well as Ryan Tierney & Patrick Magee. #Shorts #BTS #MeetUp

Can you really tell if maintenance is getting done—without asking? Brian Meyers from Fat American Mfg shows how Kamishibai and SOPs make it effortless. A simple visual system gives instant feedback from a distance, keeping tasks on track without constant check-ins. Less chasing, more doing. 🚀 Watch the full video https://lnkd.in/ertFgbQe #LeanManufacturing #ContinuousImprovement #SOP

We are training them to do it in their daily. 3S time, so we call it Kaizen time. That's 30 minutes every day. Everybody don't have to work on the product, they have to work on the process." - Stephan Hilmer, COO Tridelta Meidensha GmbH "They are doing it together with their team leads. Because it's very important that you don't change the process every single day only because you have a small idea. From my point of view, you have to have a, let's say, a sparing partner every day to have at least four eyes looking on it." At Tridelta Meidensha, Kaizen time isn’t just a concept, it’s a commitment to improvement. By dedicating focused time for continuous improvement, the team empowers every employee to refine processes, eliminate waste, and drive efficiency. Small, consistent changes lead to big results.

“The SOP for checking the water level is to stick your finger in a hole and touch water. If your finger is wet, it is good. If not, fill more water. And they were like, ‘are we really making an SOP for this?’ And I was like, well, that's how we do it. ‘You know, like, well, I'd like to make an improvement’. Make an improvement later, just get it documented!” - Brian Meyers Wondering where Brian Meyer’s team at Fat American Mfg started with their SOP, Lean and Kanban journey before they hit 1000+ SOPs? Then this podcast is the ideal listen to find out how it started and see how far they’ve come since! Recorded at the end of 2024 you’ll hear how Brian’s team is on the journey of lean after a trip to Japan and Europe where he realized his factory needed a Lean overhaul - he just didn’t realize it was Lean he needed! Find out how they adopted SOPs, transformed efficiency and discover his no-nonsense approach to implementation. The takeaways from this week’s GembaTalk: > Exposure changes everything – Seeing Lean firsthand in Japan made Brian realize what was possible. > SOPs aren’t just for the shop floor – Documenting office processes helps eliminate waste in administration, too. > Ownership is key – When employees create their own SOPs, they buy in and continuously improve them. > Just start – Perfection isn't the goal; documenting current processes leads to immediate improvements. 🎙️Find GembaTalk in your favorite podcast app (https://lnkd.in/ewzeQ8Vk), watch on YouTube https://lnkd.in/e8NpWd2S or head to our blog https://lnkd.in/eWNrH7SE

Still manually copying & pasting SOP links? There’s a better way! Eric Imel streamlined his workflow using the GembaDocs API—no more wasting time jumping between Excel and GembaDocs. Now, he selects SOP tags from a simple dropdown and prints them instantly. Less effort, more efficiency. If you're looking to automate repetitive tasks and save time, this is your sign to start using APIs to do the heavy lifting! #GembaDocs #SOPAutomation #APITips

Stockouts slowing down your workflow? @barriosdavid HPC Guatemala just upgraded their Kanban stock system to fix this! Instead of stopping operations every time a part runs out, they installed inclined shelves with a 2-bin system—so there’s always a backup ready to go. No more delays, no more downtime! 🔧 #Kanban #LeanManagement #InventoryControl

Giving your powers, pride and joy to be the Lionel Messi of your team was how Dwain Steele, Production manager, saw the value of standard procedures at Hampton Conservatories Ltd "The power it gives my team - 'I did a process today' - this is fantastic, they went home, they feel great, because they've created this process that never existed at Hampton Conservatories, they've scored the goal.' - Dwain Steele Listen back to Episode 2 of GembaTalk 🎙️ in your favorite podcast app, watch on YouTube or head to our blog.

📚 "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body" - Joseph Addison For us World Book Day isn't just for kids- it's about celebrating the passing of knowledge to the current and next generations for all things learning. And businesses that practice lean will often have a book club element to help build knowledge and their culture. Our Lean Cave book shelves are filled with books on all things Lean and improvement - you can easily access books to read, or listen to, including: - 2 Second Lean by Paul Akers - G.R.E.A.T Processes by Tom Hughes (yes, our Tom) - Lean Made Simple by Ryan Tierney - Improvement starts with I by Tom (yep, he has two books) - The Lean Deal by Michael Althoff As well as quick access to the free 2 Second Lean Play app for audio versions of some of the Lean books. 🟦 Head to the Lean Cave at https://lnkd.in/esHq3kH4 to discover more. #WorldBookDay #LeanBooks #LeanCave